Clay County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Clay County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 4, 2003Tornado$60.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado reported on the ground near Missouri Route 291, south of Missouri Route 152, it produced spotty damage northeast to downtown Liberty. Substantial damage was noted near the square in Libery, and to William Jewel College. The tornado tracked east along Missouri Route H into rural portions of Clay county before dissipating. Maximum intensity damage noted in the area was F2, based on surveys and input from local emergency management.

2. May 4, 2003Tornado$31.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   New tornado touchdown near Shady Lane and Antioch in Gladstone...with F0 to F1 damage to trees and roofs. The tornado intensified quickly, and damage of marginal F4 intensity was noted around one mile northeast of this area, near the intersection of NE 63rd Terrace and North Jackson. Another small area of marginal F4 intensity was noted just northeast of this location, in the Carriage Hills subdivision, just south of Pleasant Valley Road near North Brighton. Areas of F1 to F3 intensity damage was noted around these specific neighborhoods. The tornado continued northeast, based on air surveys, to just shy of Interstate 435 before dissipating.

3. May 2, 2008Tornado$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF2 tornado developed along a bow echo and touched down at 1:03 am in Gladstone. It then traveled northeast and dissipated at 1:08 am.|Numerous homes and businesses suffered damage or total loss.

4. May 11, 2000Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado formed rapidly in southwest Clay County in Kansas City, MO, causing considerable damage to two auto dealerships at 39th and North Oak Trafficway. A nearby apartment complex suffered roof damage. Many trees and power lines were downed as the tornado moved east, lifting near Parvin Road and Chouteau Trafficway.

5. May 2, 2008Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A brief EF3 tornado developed along the apex of a bow echo, and touched down northwest of Liberty at 12:56 am CST. The tornado tracked east-northeast for nearly one mile before dissipating at 1:00 am. Four homes were destroyed and 117 suffered damage.

6. Oct 4, 1998Flash Flood$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorms containing very heavy rainfall over West Central Missouri on October 4th resulted in several episodes of major flash flooding. The most deadly and costly flooding occurred in Jackson County where nine people lost their lives on the evening of October 4th. The Kansas City metropolitan area experienced the worst of the flooding which was similar in historical context as the devastating flash flood in September 1977. Several episodes of heavy rain producing thunderstorms commenced on the morning of October 4th and continued into early afternoon. In Lee's Summit, up to 10 people had to be rescued from a flooded apartment complex and the depth of the water on 3rd St…

7. Nov 27, 2005Tornado$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado touched down 2 miles south southwest of Excelsior Springs along Highway H near Pratherville at 1744. The tornado moved north-northeast and crossed into Ray county around Lawson at 1759. The most significant damage was located on the west side of Excelsior Springs. At the Magna manufacturing plant a wall suffered damage and there was a partial roof collapse. The plant's conveyor line was also damaged. There was also damage to a car dealership with blown in plate glass windows on the showroom floor. Otherwise...damage was mainly to trees as it moved to the Ray county line. This was the second latest tornado on record within the six county Kansas City metropolitan region.

8. Aug 19, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 mph tore through the Smithville Lake area. Extensive damage was done to a marina, where 40 to 45 boats were damaged, and two of four docks were damaged. A nearby campground was also hit hard, as approximately 20 camping trailers were damaged. Two campers were hospitalized, including one that was inside an RV that rolled over.

9. Mar 12, 2006Hail$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Car dealerships hit hard by afternoon hail storm. Roof damage also noted throughout town.

10. Mar 12, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Roof blown off Block Road at 12th and Burlington. Multiple power poles snapped off...windows and structural damage to buildings...around 10th through 12th Street and Burlington.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

113°FAug 14, 1936

All-time low

−19°FDec 22, 1989

Warmest night

89°FJul 10, 1980

Coldest day

−4°FDec 22, 1989

Wettest day

7.45 inAug 15, 1969

Snowiest day

11.8 inJan 18, 1962

Hottest year

2012mean 61.2°F

Coldest year

1951mean 53.5°F

Wettest year

196160.25 in

Driest year

198819.17 in

Station Kansas City Dwtn Airport (USW00013988), 742 ft elevation, 9.9 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1934 to October 26, 2026; 98.9% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00013988.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.